From Bob Barker to Pee Wee Herman, plenty of TV stars have appeared on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown LIVE, but WWE Superstars have also been known appear on various TV shows as guest stars, hosts and surprise appearances.
WWE.com looks at the 10 best crossover appearances of WWE Superstars on hit TV shows.
In the mid-1990s, no star on television was bigger than Pamela Anderson. The model and actress — known at the time for playing C.J. Parker on “Baywatch” — made her WWE debut at Royal Rumble 1995, promising to escort the winner to the main event at WrestleMania. Although Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble Match, Pam Anderson instead accompanied then–WWE Champion Diesel.
Anderson’s Royal Rumble and WrestleMania moments weren’t the last times she would cross paths with The Heartbreak Kid, though. In 1996, Michaels guest-starred on “Baywatch,” portraying a bodyguard for a mobster who was after C.J. Parker’s mom. Unfortunately for HBK, he was out-witted by C.J.’s mom and eventually foiled by C.J., David Chokachi’s Cody Madison and David Hasselhoff’s Mitch Buchannon.
The world of sports-entertainment is no stranger to competing on popular game shows. WWE Superstars have appeared on “Fear Factor,” “The Weakest Link” and “Let’s Make a Deal.” One of the most memorable game show appearances came in 2007 when WWE Superstars faced off against each other on “Family Feud.”
In the early 1990s, both WCW and WWE Superstars appeared on separate episodes of “Family Feud,” but in 2007, the show pitted male WWE Superstars Ric Flair, Jonathan Coachman, Batista, King Booker and Mr. Kennedy against female Superstars Candice Michelle, Maria, Michelle McCool, Queen Sharmell and Layla.
In the two-part episode, the females claimed victory in the main game and took home $20,000 in a successful bid during the final round of the first episode. Proving their dominance yet again, the ladies defeated the male Superstars on the second episode, but came up short in the final round.
“The Love Boat” was a television series that ran from 1977 to 1987 and is perhaps remembered best for its catchy — and cheesy — opening theme song. In 1998, the franchise was revived with “Love Boat: The Next Wave.” Despite running for two seasons, the show never caught on like the original, but it does have a memorable appearance from Kevin Nash and Goldberg.
Before they faced off for the WCW Championship at Starrcade 1998 — which ultimately saw Nash end Goldberg’s legendary undefeated streak — the two threw down on the deck of the show’s cruise liner, Sun Princess. Goldberg portrayed Rocky Williams — who was honeymooning with his wife — and Nash was his tag team partner, Lou “The Pariah” Maguire, who excitedly informed his partner they had a title opportunity. The story revolved around a rift between the duo because of Williams’ wife, culminating with Maguire being driven into the pool following a Spear. It’s definitely one of the more bizarre guest appearances in sports-entertainment history.
In 1996, “Boy Meets World” was one of the most popular coming-of-age shows on television. The misadventures of Corey, Shawn and Topanga — plus the life lessons of Mr. Feeny — amounted to must-see TV for fans of all ages. One of the characters – Frankie Stecchino – was an imposing and large bully, and when it came time to introduce his father, producer Michael Jacobs turned to WWE Superstar Vader.
“We wanted [a character] who is just this loving father who moonlighted as a villainous wrestler,” Jacobs explained to WWE.com. “It was this oddball, very funny, very loving blue-collar relationship.”
The crossover didn’t just involve Vader appearing on the show as Frankie’s dad, the episode “Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred-Pound Men” was actually filmed at a WWE Live Event to bring the most realistic sports entertainment experience to the show.
Sgt. Slaughter’s waged wars against The Ultimate Warrior and The Iron Sheik, but his onscreen foes have also included the likes of Cobra Commander, Serpentor and Nemesis Enforcer. If those don’t sound like WWE Superstars, don’t worry — your sports-entertainment street cred’s still intact.
In the 1980s, Sarge took a respite from in-ring competition to serve as the ambassador for Hasbro’s G.I. Joe action figure line, appearing as a live-action commercial spokesperson for the toys, a recurring character on the cartoon series and even as a G.I. Joe action figure complete with signature shades and a drill instructor hat. On the show, Slaughter became one of the highest-ranking Joes, leading a special team of tough guys called “The Renegades.”
Now you know (and knowing is half the battle). — JAMES WORTMAN
On Dec. 10, 2016, John Cena joined an elite group by becoming only the third WWE Superstar in history to host “Saturday Night Live.” After showing off his comedic chops in films such as “Daddy’s Home” and “Trainwreck,” The Cenation Leader stood before a live studio audience at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to rave reviews.
Impersonating the likes of Fabio and New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, the 16-time World Champion also paid homage to “The Karate Kid” in a hilarious sketch opposite “SNL” player Mikey Day. Like The Rock before him, Cena certainly proved that he could hold his own on comedy’s biggest stage the same way he does on WWE’s Grandest Stage of Them All.
The rivalry between WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler and comedian Andy Kaufman is as legendary as it is bizarre. Kaufman was and outlandish personality that often did things outside of the norm. One of Kaufman’s memorable antics was to wrestle women and proclaim himself the “Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World.” Eventually, the comedian brought his act to Memphis, Tenn., where he crossed paths with Lawler.
As the animosity between the two intensified, they battled inside the squared circle, where Kaufman appeared to suffer a broken neck. On “Late Night with David Letterman,” the two confronted each other, with Kaufman apologizing for his actions and demanding Lawler do the same. When The King refused to reciprocate, they began to argue. As Letterman attempted to go to commercial, Lawler stood up and slapped Kaufman right out of his chair. The result was a profanity-laced rant from Kaufman and the reigniting of their rivalry.
Shortly after Bret Hart signed a 20-year contract with WWE in 1996, the “Hit Man” decided to upgrade his digs, moving to Springfield and purchasing Mr. Burns’ mansion. After a series of bad business moves bankrupted the villainous Mr. Burns in a Season 8 episode of “The Simpsons,” Hart and a realtor toured Burns Manor. Despite Monty’s “enchanting musk” stinking up the place, Hart was sold when he learned that The Shrieking Sheik only lived a few doors down.
The following spring, Bart Simpson joined Hart on the cover of the May 1997 edition of WWE Magazine, but pencil-neck geeks everywhere are still waiting for that showdown with The Shrieking Sheik. — JEFF LABOON
During a “Suggestion Box” segment on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallow” in November 2015, the late-night host read a fan’s pitch to have The Undertaker come out on stage and Tombstone a turkey. Fallon laughed off the idea, explaining it was late and he had no idea how to contact The Deadman.
Much to the host and audience’s surprise, the unmistakable bell of The Undertaker’s entrance theme tolled, and The Phenom arrived at 30 Rock. As he made his way onto the stage, a man in a turkey suit began to dance around The Undertaker before trying to attack, only to be promptly Tombstoned. Not only a memorable moment in TV history, but also a rare appearance from The Undertaker on late-night TV.
Before he became one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the second WWE Superstar to host “Saturday Night Live” — the first since 1985. Two weeks before The Great One battled Triple H, Mankind and Big Show in a Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 2000, he took center stage at 30 Rock during “SNL’s” 25th season. Setting aside their differences for the evening, his WrestleMania opponents joined him, as well as WWE Chairman and CEO Mr. McMahon.
The milestone would be an important step for The People’s Champ’s career outside the ring, showing a wider audience that his comedic timing and acting were as strong as a Rock Bottom in the center of the ring. Since his initial hosting gig for “SNL,” The Rock has since hosted the iconic sketch comedy show five times, joining an exclusive club that includes Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks.